The UNC basketball program is all-in on being one of the fastest, highest-scoring teams in the nation. If the Tar Heels hope to play this brand of basketball, they’ll need to fly up and down the floor and light it up from the perimeter.
Good thing junior forward Cade Tyson has made a name for himself shooting the ball. Although he hasn’t shown it in a Carolina uniform yet, Tyson has been one of the nation’s deadliest three-point shooters.
Tyson played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Belmont, and he can play the 3 or 4 spots. Last season, he averaged 16.2 points on 49.3% shooting, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Tyson’s most impressive stat was his ridiculous 46.5% three-point shooting — good enough for No. 2 in the entire nation.
For comparison, ACC Player of the Year and First-Team All-American RJ Davis was No. 38 in the nation in three-point percentage, at 39.8%. Granted, Davis’ volume was higher, and he was tied for No. 2 in the nation in made three pointers at 113 (compared to Tyson’s 80). But Davis also played six more games than Tyson, making the disparity in made threes look bigger.
Tyson was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Second Team last season. He helped lead Belmont to a 20-13 record and a 12-8 conference record — good for fifth in the MVC.
247Sports ranked Tyson as the No. 34 transfer in the nation, while also listing him as the highest-ranked ACC transfer.
In the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic exhibition game on Oct. 15, Tyson struggled against Memphis. Tyson finished with 7 points on just 3-10 shooting and 1-6 shooting from three. He looked visibly nervous, a little out of control and never got comfortable shooting the ball. But dealing with nerves while putting on a North Carolina jersey for the first time is to be expected. And Tyson had a team-best 9 rebounds, which was a pleasant surprise. Rebounding will be key for this smaller Tar Heels squad, so if Tyson can bring it on the boards, that would be a big plus.
Tyson will be a critical part of this North Carolina offense. Before fans overreact from one exhibition game, they should give Tyson a chance to prove his elite shooting. And even on nights where he’s off, just his reputation as a shooter is enough to draw the attention of defenses. Defenders will need to respect Tyson as a shooting threat, which in turn, creates driving lanes and open jumpers for his teammates.
Nobody benefits more from Tyson being on the floor than Davis. Davis shot nearly 40% from three last season, while getting face-guarded, double-teamed and smothered by defenses. But now, Davis might not even be the biggest deep threat on his own team. With defenses gravitating towards Tyson each time he catches the ball on the perimeter, Davis and his teammates will get much cleaner looks.
Tyson will play at the 3 and 4 for the Tar Heels. With the possibility of a three-guard starting lineup — featuring Elliot Cadeau, Seth Trimble and Davis — and with Jalen Washington locked in at the 5, the 4 spot is the biggest wildcard in the starting lineup.
Tyson could claim the starting 4 job, or he may come off the bench. Also, with talented five-star freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powell eating up minutes at guard and wing, it seems like Tyson will get more minutes at the 4. Head Coach Hubert Davis has a versatile group, and he might experiment with different lineups more than he has in the past.
My bold prediction is that Tyson will have the highest three-point percentage on the Tar Heels and finish top three in the ACC. Even considering Tyson’s elite shooting in the past, this is still a bold take. The ACC is a big step up in competition from the MVC. Also, Tyson is now sharing the court with a lot more talent, including Davis — the best player in the ACC. Despite the early-shooting struggles from Tyson in the exhibition game, I think he has a real chance at being the Tar Heels’ biggest threat from beyond the arc.
In an interview on Media Day, Cade Tyson mentioned to Inside Carolina how big a deal it is suiting up for the Tar Heels.
“Yeah I mean growing up in North Carolina, I just knew it was always a big basketball school. And it was one of the reasons they called North Carolina the ‘hoop state.’ So I always knew it was kind of the epitome of college basketball.”
